sealing
TECHNOLOGY
ISSN 1350-4789 June 2015 www.sealingtechnology.info
Aesseal component seal range is
configurable by design
U K-based Aesseal Plc has launched
a completely re-engineered modu-
lar component seal range that enables
configurable component seals to be
built to order.
With 10 000 product lines available from
stock and over 44 000 product permutations
configurable, it offers customers the greatest
possible product availability, quality assurance
and service, claims the firm.
The new range – in development for almost
four years – incorporates unique patented
features that help to improve pump reliability.
These features include improved seal-face
cooling through directed barrier-fluid flow
systems, hydraulically balanced seal-face
technology and “plug in” designs to improve
performance and reliability. Based on a build-
to-order philosophy it comprises a large selec-
tion of product variants, and standard product
lines can be easily adapted to suit a customer’s
requirements.
Aesseal says that by manufacturing the
majority of the parts, and having full con-
trol of the supply chain it is able to offer
a portfolio of seals suitable for the food
and beverage industry. These seals are pro-
duced in accordance with good manufac-
turing practice, assuring compliance with
EC 2023/2006, which means customers
Based on a build-to-order philosophy, Aesseal’s recently launched component seal range comprises
a large selection of product variants.
ISSN 1350-4789/15
1350-4789/10 © 2015
2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Contents
Contents
News
Aesseal component seal range
is configurable by design 1
can be confident that they are sealing their
equipment with products that meet EU, FSA
and FDA requirements.
MM120 Clamshell is designed for
large-scale cutting and bevelling
CISBOT makes critical repairs
2
to cast iron gas mains in New York 2
The new range is further supported by the
Extruded sealing profiles dispense
Aesseal Seal Selection Application, enabling an with the use of adhesives 3
equivalent component seal from the company FMi Chemical introduces rapid-cure,
to be easily selected knowing just the pump primer-free, RTV sealants 3
type, competitor seal reference, or dimensional Dispensing adhesive with high
repetition accuracy 4
information.
Dow Corning and Silcotech jointly develop
Tom Broadbent, Project Manager, Aesseal, processing technology for LSR 4
commented: ‘It has been a huge undertaking KetaSpire resin complies with
that not many companies would take on, but NORSOK M-710 16
we now have the same modular build-to-order
business model in our component seal range Company News
portion of our business as our cartridge seals, Eriks North America continues growth
enabling us to have complete control of the through strategic acquisitions 4
design, manufacture and supply of component American Securities to acquire Royal
Adhesives and Sealants from Arsenal 5
seals, so that we can provide our customers
TRP Sealing Systems invests
with the exceptional service they expect in CNC machine 5
from Aesseal.’ Hallite partners with MSOE to
develop rod-wiper test 6
Contacts:
Aesseal Plc, Mill Close, Rotherham S60 1BZ, UK. Conferences and Meetings News
Tel: +44 1709 369966, Fax: +44 1709 720788, BHR Fluid Sealing conference is
scheduled for March 2016 6
Web: www.aesseal.com
Oil & Gas Non-Metallics conference
programme now available 6
Aesseal Inc, 355 Dunavant Drive, Rockford
TN 37853, USA. Tel: +1 865 531 0192,
Feature
Fax: +1 865 531 0571,
Friction is just the beginning 7
Email: usa@aesseal.com
Regulars
In Brief 3&5
Patents 13
Events Calendar 16
8
Visit us today at:
www.sealingtechnology.info
 NEWS

Contacts:
Editorial Office:
Elsevier Ltd
MM120 Clamshell Hydratight Ltd, Bentley Road South, Darlaston, West
Midlands WS10 8LQ, UK. Tel: +44 121 5050600,
The Boulevard, Langford Lane
Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK
is designed for Fax: +44 121 5050800, Web: www.hydratight.com
Fax:
Tel:+44
+44(0)1865
1865 843239
843973
Web: www.sealingtechnology.info large-scale cutting Hydratight, 1102 Hall Court, Deer Park, TX 77536, USA.
Publisher:
Publishing Greg
Director: Valero Logan
Deborah
E-mail: g.valero@elsevier.com
and bevelling Tel: +1 713 860 4200, Fax: +1 713 860 4201,
Email: houston@hydratight.com
Editor: Simon Atkinson
Editor:
Tel/Fax:
Tel:
Simon
+44 Atkinson
(0) 1904 655944
+44 (0) 1904 655944
E-mail: sealingtechnology@googlemail.com
H ydratight Ltd, which supplies
bolted joint systems and products,
E-mail: sealingtechnology@googlemail.com and mechanical weldless connectors
and machining services to the power-
CISBOT makes
critical repairs to
Production Support
Technical Manager:
Editor: Lin Lucas
Bob Flitney
E-mail: l.lucas@elsevier.com
Tel: +44 (0)1799 501659 generating, oil and gas, nuclear, wind
E-mail: robert.flitney@ntlworld.com and aerospace industries, has unveiled
Production
Editorial advisory board:
Support
Didier Fribourg (F)Manager: Lin Lucas
• Cyril X Latty (F) its new MM120 Clamshell. cast iron gas mains
E-mail:(UK)
Amrat Parmar l.lucas@elsevier.com
• Richard F Salant (USA)
Wolfgang Schöpplein (D) • Shuzo Seya (J)
Designed for parting and bevelling large-diam-
eter pipelines and vessels in situ, the lathe has a
in New York
Scott SvendsenEditorial advisory
(USA) board:
• Dr Brian S Ellis (UK)

Subscription
Yves Birembaut

Wolfgang Information
(F) • Cyril
Bob Flitney (UK)X Latty (F)
Amrat Parmar (UK) • Richard F Salant (USA)
Schöpplein (D) • Shuzo Seya (J)
split-ring style housing and is capable of accom-
modating flange and pipe sizes ranging from
2181.9 mm (85.9 in) to 3086.1 mm (121.5 in).
I n the USA, ULC Robotics Inc (ULC) has
deployed its Cast Iron Joint Sealing
Robot (CISBOT) technology in a live, large-
An annual subscription to Svendsen
Scott Sealing Technology
(USA) includes 12
issues and online access for up to 5 users. Powered by a high displacement hydraulic diameter cast iron gas main for National
Subscription Information
Prices:
An annual
E1477 forsubscription
all Europeantocountries
Sealing Technology
& Iran includes 12 motor, providing maximum cutting torque, the Grid in the Bay Ridge area of New York.
issues andfor
US$1655 online access forexcept
all countries up to 5Europe
users. and Japan housing is constructed from steel components, Unlike other methods of rehabilitating or
Prices:
¥196 100 for Japan
for alluntil
E1215 valid
(Prices European countries
31 December & Iran
2015) which assure a rigid set-up even under the most replacing cast iron gas mains, CISBOT technol-
US$1362 for all
Subscriptions runcountries except from
for 12 months, Europetheand Japan
date demanding conditions. ogy enables gas utilities to repair leak-prone
¥161 400isfor
payment Japan
received.
(Pricesinformation:
More valid until 31 June 2015) The mounting ring is equipped with 16 loca- joints whilst minimising excavation and disrup-
To subscribe send payment to the address above.
http://store.elsevier.com/product.jsp?isbn=13504789 tors. Each one has adjustable feet capable of tion to the public, says ULC, a robotics, and
Tel: +44 (0)1865 843687/Fax: +44 (0)1865 834971
Email: commsales@elsevier.com, axial adjustment (14.22 mm or 0.56 in) to aid research and development company that focuses
Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights
or via www.sealingtechnology.info.
Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: +44 1865 set-up. Solid body locators cover an impressive on the energy and utility industries.
843830, fax: +44run
Subscriptions for 853333,
1865 12 months,
email:from the date payment isYou
permissions@elsevier.com.
received.
914.4-mm (36-in) range and eliminate the need CISBOT seals gas mains by internally drill-
may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page
(www.elsevier.com), selecting first ‘Support & contact’, then ‘Copyright for multiple extensions, says the firm. ing and injecting each joint with a sealant using
& permission’.may
Permissions In the USA, users
be sought may from
directly clear Elsevier
permissionsGlobaland Rights
make
The MM120 has several bolt-on accessories a method that has been proven by Cornell
payments
Department, through
PO Box the Copyright
800, Oxford Clearance
OX5 1DX, Center,
UK;Inc., 222 +44
phone: Rosewood
1865
Drive,
843830, Danvers,
fax: +44 MA186501923, USA; email:
853333, phone:permissions@elsevier.com.
+1 978 750 8400, fax: +1 978 You that extend the machine’s range of applications, University studies to last for 50 years. The
750
may 4744, and in the
also contact UK through
Global the Copyright
Rights directly throughLicensing
Elsevier’sAgency
homeRapid page which include cutting, bevelling, facing and robot enters the gas main through a small exca-
Clearance Service (CLARCS),
(www.elsevier.com), selecting90 firstTottenham
‘Support &Court Road,
contact’, thenLondon W1P
‘Copyright
0LP, UK; phone: +44
& permission’. In the (0)20
USA,7631 5555;
users mayfax:clear
+44 permissions
(0)20 7631 5500. and Other
make ID boring. All bolt-on accessories are actuated vation to seal up to 450 m (1500 ft) – or three
countries
paymentsmay have a the
through local Copyright
reprographicClearancerights agency for payments.
Center, Inc., 222 using a remote tripper assembly that provides average city blocks – of gas main line from that
Derivative
Rosewood Drive, Works Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: +1 978 750 8400,
Subscribers
fax: +1 978 may reproduce
750 4744, and in tables
the UK of contents
through the or prepare
Copyright lists of arti-
Licensing increased control and safety. single point of entry.
cles including
Agency Rapid abstracts
Clearancefor internal
Service circulation
(CLARCS), within theirCourt
90 Tottenham institutions.
Road, Mike Mroz, Machining Product Manager, By using ULC’s CISBOT technology, non-
Permission
London W1P of the
0LP,Publisher
UK; phone: is required
+44 (0)20 for resale
7631 or distribution
5555; fax: +44outside
(0)20
the
7631institution.
5500. Other Permission
countries of may
the Publisher
have a local is required for all rights
reprographic other Hydratight, said: ‘As new machining projects intrusive work performed on live gas mains means
derivative
agency forworks,
payments.including compilations and translations.
have begun in the petrochemical, mining and local residents and businesses benefit because their
Electronic
DerivativeStorage Works or Usage
Permission
Subscribers of may thereproduce
Publishertables is required to store
of contents or or use electronically
prepare lists of arti- heavy construction industries, we have experi- gas services remain on-line during the procedure
any
cles material
includingcontained
abstracts in forthis journal,
internal including
circulation any article
within or part of
their institutions. enced a surge in demand for large diameter in without costly and disruptive shutdowns.
an article. Except
Permission as outlined
of the Publisher above, no
is required for part
resaleoforthis publication
distribution may
outside
be
thereproduced,
institution. stored
Permissionin a retrieval system oristransmitted
of the Publisher required for in any form
all other situ machining equipment.’ ‘Gas utilities go to great lengths to make
or by any works,
derivative means,including
electronic, mechanical,and
compilations photocopying,
translations. recording or ‘The option of renting tools is often a faster, pipeline safety and reliability a top priority,’
otherwise,
Electronicwithout
Storage prior
or written
Usage permission of the Publisher. Address
permissions
Permission ofrequests to: Elsevier
the Publisher Science to
is required Global
storeRights
or useDepartment,
electronically at more cost-effective way to obtain the latest said Gregory Penza, President, ULC Robotics.
the
any mail, fax and
material email addresses
contained in this journal, notedincluding
above. any article or part of
portable machine tools or to supplement exist- ‘CISBOT technology helps gas utilities, such as
Notice
an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may
No responsibilitystored
be reproduced, is assumed by the Publisher
in a retrieval system orfor any injuryinand/
transmitted any form ing machines without making unnecessary National Grid, maintain the safety and reliability of
or damage to persons
by any means, or property
electronic, as a matter
mechanical, of products recording
photocopying, liability, or
capital expenditures. We see the MM120 as large-diameter cast iron gas mains by renewing the
negligence or otherwise,
otherwise, without prior or from any
written use or operation
permission of any meth-
of the Publisher. Address
ods, products,
permissions instructions
requests or ideas
to: Elsevier contained
Science Globalin the material
Rights herein. at
Department, not only a great tool for purchase, but also an joints, where methane gas is most likely to escape.’
Because
the mail,of faxrapid
and advan­
email caddresses
es in the medical sciences, in particular, inde-
noted above. important rental option for our customers.’ Whilst this deployment of CISBOT – at the
pendent
Notice verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made.
Although all advertising
No responsibility is assumed material
by the is expected
Publisher to forconform
any injuryto and/
ethical For ease of set-up, the MM120 can be disas- intersection of 64th Street and 17th Avenue
(medical)
or damagestandards,
to personsinclusion
or property in thisas publication
a matter of does not constitute
products liability, a sembled into four components. in Brooklyn – marks the first deployment of
guarantee
negligenceor orendorsement
otherwise, or of theany
from quality
use or value of such
operation product
of any meth-or
of theproducts,
ods, claims made of it byoritsideas
instructions manufacturer.
contained in the material herein. this robotic technology for National Grid in
Because of rapid advan­ces in the medical sciences, in particular, inde- New York since 2010, the gas utility has been
pendent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made.
Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical consistently using it to seal joints in the Boston,
(medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a Massachusetts area since 2011, says the firm.
guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or
of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.

12980 Hydratight Ltd’s latest Clamshell – the Contact:

02129
Digitally MM120 – is capable of accommodating flange ULC Robotics Inc, 88 Arkay Drive, Hauppauge,
Digitally Produced
Produced by
by Mayfield
Mayfield Press
Press (Oxford)
(Oxford) Ltd
Ltd
and pipe sizes ranging from 2181.9 mm to NY 11788, USA. Tel: +1 631 667 9200,
3086.1 mm.
Web: www.ulcrobotics.com

2
Sealing Technology June 2015

Extruded sealing
profiles dispense with
the use of adhesives
F reudenberg Sealing Technologies
GmbH & Co Kg (FST) reports that it
has developed a process for produc-
ing extruded sealing profiles and rings
that dispenses with the use of adhe-
sives – guaranteeing uniform quality
for the entire seal.
Amongst other applications, extruded pro-
files are used to make seals when it is not pos-
sible to use an approach involving tooling, says
the company.
One typical example is a circumferential oven
door seal. FST has developed a process for this
application that enables the cord and joint area
to consist of the same material. This gives the
seal a uniform quality since the joint behaves no
differently than the material itself when exposed
to process media, cleaning agents and thermal
effects. In traditional seals the profile ends are
often attached using an adhesive, which leads to
quality differences at that position.
FST delivers extruded profiles made from
four premium materials. EPDM is one of the
most widely used materials in the food and
pharmaceuticals industries. The company’s
70 EPDM 391 is resistant to water, steam,
acids and alkaline solutions and conforms to
FDA, EC Regulation 1935/2004 and USP
Chapter 87. 70 EPDM 471 is resistant to dis-
infectants and CIP/SIP media, and is
FDA-compliant.
FST says its 75 Fluoroprene XP 41 offers broad
chemical and thermal resistance (CIP/SIP, steam
and grease) and has approvals such as NSF 51, EC
Regulation 1935/2004 and 3-A Sanitary Standards,
and is verified under FDA, USP Chapter 87 and
USP Class VI – 121°C. On the other hand, if good
cold flexibility and high abrasion resistance are
simultaneously required, 80 NBR 217383, with a
3-A Sanitary Standards approval, is the best mate-
rial to use, says the company.
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies’ inflatable
seal made from 70 EPDM 471.
June 2015 Sealing Technology
If necessary, the firm’s extruded seals can be
equipped with additional features. For example, for
special applications there are inflatable seals with an
optimised valve for sealing doors hermetically.
Contacts:
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies GmbH & Co Kg,
Höhnerweg 2–4, 69465 Weinheim/Bergstrasse,
Germany. Tel: +49 6201 80 6666, Web: www.fst.com
FMi Chemical
introduces rapid-
cure, primer-free,
RTV sealants
F Mi Chemical Inc, a US-based manu-
facturer, custom repackager, and cer-
tified testing services provider for non-
metallic sealants, coatings and com-
pounds, has added two products to its
Thermosil line of temperature-resistant,
aerospace-grade, silicone sealants.
Thermosil 3001 and Thermosil 3002 are
described as all-purpose RTV adhesive sealants
that can be cured with heat to reduce assembly
time, or make fast repairs. They bond securely to
metal and composite surfaces without the use of
primer, and do not emit hazardous or corrosive
by-products during the curing process.
According to FMi, standard RTV sealants in
this category are usually one-part materials that
cure when exposed to air and can take several days
to set. Thermosil 3001 and 3002 are two-part
compounds packaged in pre-measured injection
cartridges. Once mixed and applied, they can
be cured with heat in hours, or even minutes,
depending on the application and the heat source.
Heat sources can vary from industrial ovens,
in a manufacturing setting, to a heat gun or
blow dryer in the field. And, unlike acetoxy
sealants, these Thermosil products do not emit
acetic acid vapours.
‘Because they can be cured quickly with heat,
Thermosil RTVs offer manufacturers greater
control over the production process and resource
planning,’ explained Nancy Daigle, Director of
Finance & Operations, FMi Chemical.
FMi says that Thermosil sealants are designed
for maximum durability and thermal stabil-
ity. Thermosil 3001 and 3002 meet minimum
peel strength specifications of 65 psi, and have
an operating temperature range of -65–500°F
(-54–260°C) and -65–400°F (-54–204°C),
respectively.
Thermosil 3000 Series sealants meet stringent
specifications set by jet-engine manufacturers,
and can be used in a wide range of aerospace,
manufacturing and industrial applications.
NEWS/in brief
IN BRIEF
Henkel set to acquire Novamelt GmbH
Henkel Ag & Co Kgaa has signed an
agreement to acquire Novamelt GmbH, a
privately owned company based in south
Germany. Henkel says the move will further
enhance its competence in the area of hot-
melt adhesives. In fiscal 2014, Novamelt,
based in Wehr, Baden-Württemberg, gen-
erated sales of around E50 million. The
company has about 100 employees, and has
an additional site in the USA, Novamelt
Americas Llc.
Charli Matthews receives FSA award
The Fluid Sealing Association (FSA) has
announced that its FSA Award of Merit was
recently bestowed upon Charli Matthews,
Founder and President of Empowering Pumps
Llc, based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This award
was established to recognise distinguished
or exceptional service to the FSA by an
individual member. It is granted solely on
merit and participation in all activities that
support the FSA’s mission. According to the
FSA, Matthews has been a dedicated leader
in its marketing committee where she recently
completed her term as chair. In this position
she has been instrumental in establishing,
maintaining and growing the FSA’s social
media presence. She has a passion and a fun-
damental understanding of the social media
process and was able to develop a platform
for the FSA that has engaged numerous third
parties which may not have otherwise heard of
the association.
Lanxess starts production at its new
EPDM plant in China
German speciality chemicals company
Lanxess Deutschland GmbH reports that
its new ethylene propylene diene rubber
(EPDM) plant in Changzhou (Jiangsu
Province), China, has come on stream. Over
the next few months the company will be
running sampling and approbation processes
with customers. The facility will produce in
total ten premium grades of EPDM tailored
to Chinese and Asian customer needs.
Freudenberg-NOK expands Findlay facility
Freudenberg-NOK Sealing Technologies says
that it is planning to expand its automotive
sealing facility in Findlay, Ohio, USA, and
hire new employees to meet increasing cus-
tomer requirements for quality components.
Company executives officially announced
that the company will pursue a 4000-m2
(43 000-ft2) factory expansion that could
result in retaining 148 jobs and creating 25
new jobs at the plant.
3
 NEWS
Thermosil 3000 Series RTV sealants cure in
hours, or even minutes, with the application
of heat. They bond securely to metals and
composites, without the need for primer,
and do not emit hazardous or corrosive
by-products.
Contacts:
FMi Chemical Inc, 4 Northwood Drive, Bloomfield,
CT 06002, USA. Tel: +1 860 243 3222,
Web: www.fmichemical.com
Dispensing adhesive
with high
repetition accuracy
H enkel Ltd has introduced a range of
Loctite dispensing systems based
on the principle of volume change, a
process that ensures consistent dosing.
Traditional pressure–time adhesive dispensing
systems are ideal for many automated bonding
and sealing applications, but, says the company,
they are not a good choice where an exact
amount of product needs to be applied regard-
less of ambient temperature or viscosity.
Commonly, these Loctite volumetric dispens-
ing systems are used in automatic workstations,
transfer-lines and in robotised assembly for
precise dispensing of adhesive dots and beads
onto mating surfaces or flanges. This is par-
ticularly important for medical device assembly
or in electronics manufacturing – applications
that often require the integration of light cure
equipment into the production process.
Because Henkel can supply both the adhesive
and the volumetric dispensing unit, the com-
bined system is optimised for the purpose. It says
consistent, high-quality bonding and sealing is
assured, with very high repetition accuracy, even
under variable environmental conditions.
At the heart of the Loctite design is an eccen-
tric rotor pump, the main component of which
is a stainless steel rotor that rotates within a
self-sealing elastomeric stator. As it dispenses the
4
Sealing Technology June 2015
adhesive volumetrically and virtually free from
pulsation, it gives far greater control over the
amount of adhesive released, says the company.
The volume flow depends on the size of the
pump and the number of revolutions. The direc-
tion of flow is also reversible to eliminate the
possibility of post-dispense dripping. As flow is
directly proportional to the speed of rotation, the
system enables the dispensing rate to be varied
continuously by adjusting the motor speed.
The standard, single pump, Henkel
Volumetric Rotor Dispenser is designed for
single component Loctite anaerobic adhesives/
sealants and light-curing acrylics. The system
comes with a dedicated controller which has
an LCD to display a navigation menu, which
makes it easy for users to select either the
amount of product dispensed, in millilitres, or
the dispense rate in millilitres/min.
The Loctite Dual Rotor Pump Dispenser is
based on exactly the same operating principle,
but is mainly designed to handle two-part
epoxy resins. It is suitable for processing low
and high viscosity materials within the ratio
of 1:1 to 10:1 and is typically specified for
dispensing continuous beads or for time-con-
trolled potting applications in manual work sta-
tions. Two separate servo drives enable the ratio
mix to be adjusted continuously.
The system can also process some abrasive
products. As the pumps are built directly into
the follower plates with wipers, they can be
used for feeding and dispensing non-levelling,
thixotropic products.
Contacts:
Henkel Ltd, Technologies House, Wood Lane End,
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 4RQ, UK.
Tel: +44 1442 278100, Fax: +44 1442 278293,
Web: www.loctite.co.uk
Henkel Ag & Co KgaA, Henkelstrasse 67, 40191
Düsseldorf, Germany. Tel: +49 211 7970,
Fax: +49 211 798 4008, Web: www.henkel.com
Dow Corning and
Silcotech jointly
develop processing
technology for LSR
D ow Corning Corp, a supplier of
silicones, and Silcotech, a liquid
injection moulding (LIM) systems com-
pany, say they have developed a new
processing technology for liquid silicone
rubber (LSR).
Through a close collaboration between the
two companies, Silcotech developed a multi-
shot processing system capable of simultaneous-
ly moulding nine discrete substrates or shapes
that exhibit a broad range of durometers, tex-
tures and colours using Dow Corning QP1 liq-
uid silicone rubber (LSR) materials. The system
simultaneously moulds discrete shapes whilst
maintaining costs comparable to a single-shot
system, say the companies.
‘In today’s fiercely competitive market place,
medical device manufacturers need to innovate
designs with increasingly varied yet closely inte-
grated functionality – whilst maintaining tight con-
trol over production costs,’ said Roger Hendrick,
Application Engineer, Dow Corning Healthcare.
‘Our portfolio of QP1 LSRs gave Silcotech a
solid materials foundation on which to build its
new processing technology to meet this com-
petitive demand. Our close collaboration has
delivered results for high-output moulding of
intricate medical device designs.’
Contacts:
Dow Corning Corp, PO Box 994, Midland,
MI 48686-0994, USA. Tel: +1 989 496 7881,
Fax: +1 989 496 6731, Web: www.dowcorning.com,
Web: www.xiameter.com
Silcotech North America Inc, 54 Nixon Road, Bolton,
ON L7E 1W2, Canada. Tel: +1 905 857 9998,
Fax: +1 905 857 6004
Company News
Eriks North America
continues growth
through strategic
acquisitions
E riks North America recently
acquired two new companies.
With the acquisitions of Action Industrial
Group, by Eriks’ Lewis-Goetz, and Seals and
Packings Inc, by Eriks Seals and Plastics Inc, the
company says that it continues its aggressive growth
and commitment to expanding its business model
geographically and within strategic end-markets.
‘With the addition of these two great com-
panies, we continue to expand our industrial
reach and our ability to deliver value to our
customers,’ commented Jeff Crane, President
and CEO, Eriks North America.
‘The associates of Action Industrial and Seals
and Packing bring significant industry and
application know-how. Couple this with our
global resources and our unique ability to add
value continues to grow.’

Eriks industrial distributor Lewis-Goetz
entered a definitive agreement in April to
acquire Action Industrial Group, a fabricator
and distributor, based in South Carolina, that
specialises in fasteners, gaskets, hose products
and industrial construction tools and supplies.
The acquisition adds seven Southeast locations
to the Lewis-Goetz footprint, as well as consid-
erable gasket fabrication technologies. Action
Industrial Group has 78 employees and posted
$21.5 million in net sales in 2014.
As part of Lewis-Goetz, Action Industrial Group
will have the opportunity to expand its reach with
more access to resources and greater opportunities
to cross-sell products. It fabricates and distributes
hose, sealing, conveyor belt and valve products
from nearly 100 locations in the USA and Canada.
Eriks Seals and Plastics Inc, a technical
resource for seals and bearings required for
demanding applications, has bought Texas-
based Seals and Packings. The acquired firm
has been in operation for more than 30 years,
delivering seals and related components to a
wide range of industries, including the oil and
gas, automotive, rail, aerospace, mobile and
industrial hydraulics, chemicals, petrochemicals
and medical sectors.
This acquisition enables Eriks to enhance its
client base in the US oil and gas industry and
will enable it to offer further products and ser-
vices to existing and new customers.
Contacts:
Eriks Bv, Toermalijnstraat 5, 1812 RL Alkmaar,
The Netherlands. Tel: +31 72 514 1514,
Fax: +31 72 515 5645, Web: www.eriks.nl
Lewis-Goetz & Co Inc, 650 Washington Road,
Pittsburgh, PA 15228, USA. Tel: +1 412 341 7100,
Web: www.lewis-goetz.com
Eriks Seals and Plastics Inc, 1160 Mustang Drive,
Suite 100, DFW Airport, TX 75261, USA.
Tel: +1 682 292 5060, Web: www.eriksusa.com
American Securities
to acquire Royal
Adhesives and
Sealants from Arsenal
I n the USA, private equity firm
American Securities Llc has part-
nered with the management of Royal
Adhesives and Sealants Llc – a pro-
ducer of proprietary, high-performance
adhesives and sealants – to acquire the
firm from Arsenal Capital Partners.
Ted Clark, President and CEO, Royal Adhesives
June 2015 Sealing Technology
& Sealants, said: ‘We are excited to partner with
American Securities because it is ideally positioned
to support our next phase of growth and develop-
ment. American Securities has significant experi-
ence in the speciality chemical sector and a broad
and experienced team upon which we can draw.’
‘We look forward to working with them as
we continue to focus on providing adhesive and
sealant application products and technologies
that create value for our global customers.’
Scott Wolff, Managing Director, American
Securities, added: ‘We believe that the com-
pany’s commitment to product innovation,
combined with its experienced and customer-
focused management team positions Royal for a
strong future. We look forward to bringing our
resources to bear to support Ted and his team
for Royal’s continued success.’
Contacts:
Royal Adhesives & Sealants Llc, 2001 West Washington
Street, South Bend, IN 46628, USA. Tel: +1 574 246
500, Web: www.royaladhesives.com
Arsenal Capital Partners, 100 Park Avenue, 31st Floor,
New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: +1 212 771 1717,
Fax: +1 212 771 1718, Web: www.arsenalcapital.com
American Securities Llc, 299 Park Avenue, 34th Floor,
New York, NY 10171, USA. Tel: +1 212 476 8000,
Fax: +1 212 697 5524, Web: www.american-securities.com
TRP Sealing Systems
invests in CNC machine
U K-based TRP Sealing Systems Ltd,
which specialises in seals, gaskets and
mouldings, has invested £200 000 in a CNC
machine for mould tool manufacture.
Simon Children, Managing Director, TRP
Sealing Systems, commented: ‘Whilst I am sure
we will continue to make use of the excellent
service received from our current mould tooling
suppliers, our investment in internal capacity
will further strengthen our ability to service
our supply chain, ensure greater flexibility and
improved responsiveness.’
In addition to its investment in the new
machining centre and software, TRP Sealing
Systems has rehoused its entire tool-room in
a newly refurbished building containing all of
the ancillary equipment necessary for handling
such large tools.
Contact:
TRP Sealing Systems Ltd, 24 Netherwood Road,
Rotherwas Industrial Estate, Hereford HR2 6JU, UK.
Tel: +44 1432 279366, Fax: +44 1432 273017,
Web: www.trpsealing.com
NEWS/in brief
IN BRIEF
Parker Hannifin’s RSU quickly
manufactures non-standard tube fittings
The Tube Fittings Division (TFD) of
US-based Parker Hannifin Corp claims that
it can now manufacture custom fittings and
adapters in as little as 24, 48 or 72 hours
using its growing rapid service unit (RSU).
The RSU quickly manufactures non-standard,
low- and high-volume tube fittings and adapt-
ers for hydraulic and pneumatic applications,
as well as unavailable standard fittings.
More information:
Web: www.parker.com/tfd
Trelleborg acquires outstanding shares
in LSR operation in Bulgaria
Sweden’s Trelleborg has used an option from
2011 to acquire the outstanding 50% shares in
Trelleborg Sealing Solutions’ Silcotech Bulgaria
OOD, with a production unit in Pernik,
Bulgaria. Its main focus is the production of
precision moulded seals in liquid silicone rub-
ber (LSR) for various industries, including food
processing. The company says this transaction
is part of its strategy to strengthen its position
in attractive market segments.
Momentive promotes ultra-clear LSR
technology for optical applications
Silicones and materials company Momentive
Performance Materials Inc used Light Fair
International, which was held recently in
New York, USA as an opportunity to demon-
strate its ultra-clear Silopren LSR 7000 (liquid
silicone rubber) series. By providing durability
and design freedom this material can be used
in a wide range of industries and applications
where the combination of high transparency,
and excellent heat and radiation resistance are
needed, says the company.
More information:
Web: www.momentive.com
TSP hard-facing material increases
life of drilling tools
UK-based Cutting & Wear Resistant
Developments Ltd recently announced details
of a new thermally stable polycrystalline
(TSP) diamond hard-facing material that will
increase the life of drilling tools operating
in highly abrasive environments by up to 10
times and cut the cost of drilling operations.
The new material incorporates ‘Hardide-D’
– developed by UK-based coatings company
Hardide Plc – a metallurgically bonded coat-
ing for TSP diamonds that is suitable for braz-
ing, extreme loads and aggressive media.
More information:
Web: www.hardide.com/coatings/coatings-range
Web: www.cwuk.com
5
 NEWS
Hallite partners with
MSOE to develop
rod-wiper test
I n the USA, Hallite Seals Americas Inc,
a global manufacturer of high-perfor-
mance hydraulic sealing products, has
announced the development of a new
test procedure for assessing the amount
of dirt and dust that enters a typical
hydraulic system through the rod wiper.
Developed in cooperation with Milwaukee
School of Engineering’s (MSOE) Fluid Power
Institute, the test breaks new ground because it
features a novel methodology for measuring dry
particles attributed to being a major cause of
hydraulic system inefficiency, degradation and
failure. It fills a critical need within the cylinder
manufacturing industry, says the company.
Most hydraulic systems employ numerous
cylinders which function like a syringe, draw-
ing in contaminants. The rod wiper located in
the sealing configuration of a hydraulic cylinder
is designed to limit the ingression of dirt, dust
and grit, making it one of the most critical sys-
tem components. However, there is no specific
ISO method for testing a rod wiper’s ability to
prevent > 4-µ, > 6-µ and > 14-µ particles from
entering the hydraulic system, says Hallite. These
microscopic particle sizes are most damaging to
hydraulic systems as referenced in ISO 4406 for
coding contamination levels in hydraulic fluids.
‘The MSOE rod-wiper test uses an on-line
particle counting method instead of traditional
gravimetric measurement where particles are
weighed,’ explained Chuck White, Business
Development Manager, Hallite.
‘The particle count approach provides a more
complete and accurate assessment of contami-
nants than weight because two samples can have
the same gravimetric weight in oil, but one may
contain many more dirt particles than the other,
indicating much greater potential for damage to
precision components. This new method raises
the bar on keeping solid contaminants out of the
system now – to avoid problems later.’
MSOE used the SAE J1195 standard com-
bined with best practices to establish a baseline for
developing the rod-wiper test procedure. A rig was
built in the MSOE test laboratory and parameters
such as duration, cycle rate, pressure and tempera-
ture were set using input from hydraulic cylinder
manufacturers to best simulate the rigour of actual
field conditions. It took eight months of develop-
ment, verification, trials and adjustments to estab-
lish a repeatable test procedure.
Once the new procedure was completed and
proven, MSOE tested the Hallite 520 and 820
wipers against two competitors.
6
Sealing Technology June 2015
The test procedure involved installing the
rod wiper into the specified test fixture, heating
the hydraulic circulation fluid to 66°C (150°F),
pumping the oil over the top of the rod and
letting it drain down into the reservoir whilst
circulating high-velocity particles (ISO 12103-
1-A4 Course Test Dust) of contamination in
the chamber. The objective was to count how
much dirt and grit got past the wiper.
Based on the conditions and method used,
data suggest that the Hallite 520 and 820 wipers
allowed less than one half the amount of contami-
nant from entering into the test system compared
with competitive wipers that were tested.
‘Hallite has a reputation as a trusted brand
for wiper technology, but it needed competitive
third-party validation for the integrity of our
material and design,’ continued White.
‘We are excited about the performance results
because they demonstrate how our products
work in some of the most aggressive field envi-
ronments. Also, working together with MSOE
and key customers to develop and conduct a test
of this quality is invaluable as it forged a three-
way partnership that emphasises the importance
of rod wipers and gives Hallite an opportunity
to demonstrate its continued commitment to
understanding and developing technologies to
improve the effectiveness of hydraulics systems.’
(A white paper covering the MSOE test has
been produced and is available upon request.)
Contacts:
Hallite Seals Americas Inc, 50777 Varsity Court,
Wixom, MI 48393, USA. Tel: +1 248 668 5200,
Fax +1 248 668 5210, Web: www.hallite.com
Milwaukee School of Engineering, 1025 North
Broadway, Milwaukee, WI 53202-3109, USA.
Tel: +1 414 277 7191, Fax: +1 414 277 7470,
Web: www.msoe.edu
Conferences and
Meetings News
BHR Fluid Sealing
conference is scheduled
for March 2016
B HR Group has announced that its
23rd premier international confer-
ence, which facilitates the dissemination
of the latest technologies and develop-
ments within the field of seals and seal-
ing systems, is scheduled to be held in
Manchester, UK, on 2–3 March 2016.
BHR Group is seeking contributions on the
following topics:
• smart seals;
• training, standards and competence;
• new seal and counter surface materials;
•
•
•
novel seal designs;
dynamic and static seals and systems;
corrosion and erosion;
• leakage, emission and legislation;
• energy efficiency; and
• cost of ownership.
Contributions may be academic research,
industrial research or practical case studies, and
may take the form of a full paper, poster or
presentation.
Authors who are interested in contributing to
this conference are invited to send a 300-word
abstract specifying their preferred entry option
to Christina Glenister at the address given below.
The deadline for submissions is 3 July 2015
Contacts:
Christina Glenister, Conference Organiser.
Tel: +44 3301 191 603, Email: confx8@bhrgroup.co.uk
BHR Group, The Fluid Engineering Centre, Cranfield,
Bedfordshire MK43 0AJ, UK. Tel: +44 1234 750422,
Fax: +44 1234 750074,
Web: www.bhrgroup.com/2016_conferences_.aspx
Oil & Gas Non-
Metallics conference
programme
now available
A pplied Market Information Ltd
says that the programme for
the first edition of the Oil & Gas
Non-Metallics conference, which is
being held on 8–10 December 2015 in
London, UK, is now available.
The event offers a technical forum for oil and
gas operators, engineers, contractors and mate-
rial and equipment suppliers to debate the use of
non-metallic materials in critical applications.
The full programme can be downloaded
from the AMI Web-site at the address given
below (the registration form is on page 4).
Contact:
Jenny Skinner, Senior Conference Organiser, Applied
Market Information Ltd, 6 Pritchard Street, Bristol
BS2 8RH, UK. Tel: +44 117 314 8111,
Fax: +44 117 311 1534, Email: js@amiplastics.com,
Web: http://www.amiplastics.com/events/
event?Code=C681
 feature

Friction is just the beginning

Henri Azibert, Technical Director, Fluid Sealing Association, Windham, New
Hampshire, USA

Dynamic sealing systems are recognised as consumers of power mainly because of

the friction that comes into play in the sealing interface. But this is not the only
story, as seal auxiliary systems consume power, and energy is also lost through leak- major parameters that will impact power
age in production processes. This article identifies high-energy utilisation sealing consumption.
systems and presents strategies used to minimise power losses. It can be seen that the power consumed
is proportional to the speed, the coefficient
Dynamic sealing systems are recognised as where P is the power (horsepower or kW, of friction between the rotating and the sta-
major consumers of power because of the fric- depending on the units used); B, the balance tionary seal faces, the size of the seal and the
tion that is involved in the sealing interface. ratio; k, the pressure drop across the seal faces; face area. The sealed pressure has a moder-
Traditional methods used to calculate the Pp, the sealed pressure; rpm, the rotational ated effect, based on the seal geometry. The
energy dissipated may not be accurate or rep- speed; Dm, the mean face diameter; µ, the coef- contact pressure is determined by the spring
resentative of the latest sealing technologies. ficient of friction between the seal faces, Af, seal force divided by the face area, added to the
More importantly, friction is only the begin- face area; Ps, spring pressure; and F, the factor sealed pressure, multiplied by the ratio of
ning. Auxiliary systems, used to maintain the depending on the units used. closing-to-opening hydraulic forces maintain-
proper environment for seals to operate, actu- This equation is at best an approximation ing the faces closed.
ally can be much larger consumers of energy. If because it does not take into account pressure The opening force is dependent on the pres-
not properly considered and applied, thermal and temperature deflections, fluid viscosity, sure drop between the seal faces which, in turn,
energy management can result in staggering fluid shearing, heat transfer and many other is dependent on fluid properties and face flat-
energy consumption, whilst optimised systems variables that have an impact on power con- ness, but is generally approximated to 0.5. The
can lead to some unexpected, yet highly effi- sumption. Yet it has been fairly practical to closing force depends on the area subject to
cient systems. use, and does take into account some of the axial forces from the process pressure. The term
In the paragraphs that follow, high-energy
utilisation sealing systems are identified, as
are present strategies used to minimise
power losses.

Friction is just
the beginning
In dynamic sealing systems two surfaces are in
sliding contact, or extremely close proximity, to
prevent or minimise some process fluid from
escaping into the environment. The most com-
mon systems used are mechanical seals where
two extremely flat surfaces are in partial contact Figure 1. Frictional power consumption of mechanical seals.
or separated by a fluid film, and compression
packing where a soft pliable material is com- Operating conditions: Performance parameters:
5500 rpm 13.7 kBtu/h, total frictional heat input
pressed against a shaft to maintain leakage at an 186 psig, process fluid pressure 255°F average face temperature
absolute minimum. 176°F process fluid temperature 290°F maximum face temperature
0.10 boundary coefficient of friction –675 µrad (–10.7 HLB), pressure distortion
4 µin, rms surface roughness 857 µrad (13.6 HLB), thermal distortion
Mechanical seals frictional process fluid: water 182 µrad (2.9 HLB), total face distortion
20.8 gram/h, leakage rate
power consumption
The power consumed by the seals is most
simply expressed by considering the surface
area that is in contact, the sliding velocity, the
contact pressure and the coefficient of friction
between the materials. The equation that is
used is:

P = ((B–k) × Pp + Ps) × rpm ×
Figure 2. Representative finite element analysis used to calculate heat generation.
  Dm × µ × Af × F (1)

7
June 2015 Sealing Technology
 feature
Figure 3. Frictional power consumption of compression packing – fact or “f(r)iction”?
“balanced seal” refers to geometries where the
ratio of closing area to face area is less than 1.
This is known as the “balance ratio”. Typically,
the balance ratio is between 0.7 and 0.8 for bal-
anced seals, but can be as high as 1.5 for unbal-
anced seals. Thus, as low as 20% (0.7–0.5)
of the process pressure will contribute to the
energy consumption.
The chart in Figure 1 (on page 7) illustrates
power consumption for various seal designs.
It must be noted that even though the for-
mula is just an approximation, the coefficient
of friction and the pressure drop between the
faces – which have much of an impact on the
results – have been verified experimentally. So,
in some ways, the formula takes into account
all the factors that do affect power consump-
tion by having the adjustment of these factors
based on actual experience.
Certainly these factors are only valid for
common applications such as water or oil
service. For a specific case, the only way to
accurately calculate power consumption is
through iterative finite element analysis (FEA)
(Figure 2, on page 7), and in some cases also
augmented by computational fluid dynamics
(CFD) analysis of the fluid around the seal.
This is only done for critical cases, and the
basic formula is what is commonly used.
Figure 4. Testing results of torque measurements for different types of mechanical seals and
compression packings.
8
Sealing Technology June 2015
The one exception to the frictional power
consumption calculation method given by
Equation 1 (on page 7) is the case of gas seals
where there is no contact between the seal faces
in relative motion, and the only energy loss is
that of the shearing of the gas that is between
the seal faces. It is extremely low compared
with the frictional contact or even the liquid
shearing between the faces.
In general, direct power consumption is
relatively small compared with the power
used for the pump driver. However, there are
cases where other elements need to be con-
sidered, including cooling requirements and
factors that are not only substantial, but can
even exceed the power requirements of the
pump driver.
Compression packing frictional
power consumption
Compression packing used in dynamic sealing
applications most often has a braided con-
struction comprising various fibres most often
impregnated with lubricant.
The packing is wrapped around the shaft in a
confined cylindrical area and compressed with a
packing gland. The packing is compressed until
the desired leakage level is reached.
The formula (Equation 2) commonly
used to calculate packing friction is similar
to the one used for mechanical seals in that
it includes the surface area of the packing in
contact with the shaft, the rotational speed, a
contact pressure and a coefficient of friction.
This is also an approximate formula – neglect-
ing, lubricant levels, actual packing com-
pression, type of liquid sealed, viscosity and
temperature – but it has been used to provide
a number for the amount of energy consumed
by the packing. It is given by:
P = Pp × rpm × D × µ × Ap × F (2)
where P is the power (horsepower or kW,
depending on the units used); Pp, the sealed
pressure; rpm, the rotational speed; D, the shaft
diameter; µ, the coefficient of friction between
the seal faces, Ap, packing contact area; and F,
the factor depending on the units used.
This approximate formula has been generally
adopted and used in technical forums, such as
the Life Cycle Cost Calculator that is found on
the Fluid Sealing Association’s Web-site.
The main difference between this formula
and the one used for mechanical seals is that
the contact pressure is assumed to be the sealed
product pressure, that there is no pressure-drop
term and the coefficient of friction used tends
to be somewhat high at 0.17. In addition,
the contact area is quite large compared with
mechanical seal face area.
This formula tends to give power consump-
tion levels that are approximately 10 times that
of a balanced mechanical seal used under the
same conditions. See Figure 3 for the compres-
sion packing power consumption for the same
case as was used for mechanical seals illustrated
in Figure 1.
This level of fairly substantial power con-
sumption has been accepted as the conven-
tional wisdom, but was recently questioned
by the Compression Packing Divisions of
both the Fluid Sealing Association and the
European Sealing Association. They com-
missioned a research facility to conduct
comparative testing of mechanical seals and
compression packing using the very same
test experimental set-up and variations of
mechanical seal designs and compression
packing fibres. Although more testing is still
to be conducted the results clearly show that
the compression packing power consumption
formula overestimates compression packing
actual power consumption. The results that
were obtained were dependent on leakage lev-
els, but were equal to or even significantly less
that the power consumption of the mechanical
seals. The mechanical seal power consump-
tion levels were in fairly good agreement with
 feature

the conventional calculations, but the power

consumption for packing was drastically
lower. Testing results for four different types
of mechanical seals and three different types
of packings are summarised in Figure 4. The
tests were conducted at a pressure of approxi-
mately 6 bar, on the same test rig, at the dif-
ferent speeds indicated.
It must be noted that there are also some
unexpected results for the mechanical seals. For
example, the balanced component mechani-
cal seal showed higher torque results than the
unbalanced component mechanical seal. Several
factors could be responsible for the torque level
variation, but most likely can be explained by
differences in face designs and spring load. The Figure 5. Energy loss with high flow rates for different piping plans.
face profile, and therefore the pressure drop
across the seal faces and the resulting contact static sealing – but product loss certainly needs For a system where leakage is approximated
pressure, is different in the different designs. to be examined as part of a sealing system’s as percentages in terms of feed-water (25%),
The difficulty in accurately setting the instal- energy consumption. Any production process steam (25%) and condensate (50%), the energy
lation length for component seals has a sig- requires energy, and therefore, any product loss required for 1 litre of leakage is:
nificant impact on spring loading and contact is a waste of energy.
pressure as well. None of these factors are taken One relevant example is that of make-up 0.1 × 0.5 + 0.21 × 0.25 + 0.87 × 0.25 = 
into account in the basic power consumption water. This is the water that needs to be added 0.32 kWh/l
formula. to a steam cycle system found in a power-
Even though some more work is planned generating plant. With a water make-up rate 200 l/min, which
it is safe to say that the conventional wisdom Because of leaks throughout the system, water would be the case for an average size fossil-
contained a lot of assumptions that have not needs to be added to the process stream. In a fuelled plant, the energy required to be added
been verified through experiment. Thus the power plant the steam condensate circuit is a to the system is:
use of sealed pressure as the contact pressure closed-loop system. Water is heated to produce
for the packing along its entire axial length steam, thermal energy is then converted to 0.32 kWh/l × 200 l/min × 60 × 24 × 
definitely needs to be revised. A pressure drop mechanical or electrical energy, the spent steam 365 min/year =
coefficient of 0.2 gives a much better correla- is condensed and the condensate is then reheated 33 638 400 kWh/year
tion of calculated to testing results. The coef- to repeat the cycle. Water is added to make up
ficient of friction must also be re-evaluated what is lost through the system leaks. Some is This is just the energy loss from leaks, and
when current advanced synthetic fibre materi- lost as feed-water, some as steam and some as it does not include the energy that the system
als are used. For example, a coefficient of fric- condensate. has to supply to reheat seal areas that have
tion value of 0.03 for ePTFE/graphite packing Feed-water, steam and condensate are at a become cool.
is more in agreement with testing results than higher energy state than make-up water, so we The average annual electricity consump-
the traditional value of 0.17. must consider the energy required to elevate tion for a residential utility customer is about
The unquestioned switch from compression make-up water at 10°C level to: 11 000 kWh. The 200 l/min of make-up water
packing to mechanical seals to save energy in that needs to be added at a power plant is
sealing systems has to be reconsidered. There • condensate: 90 000 cal/litre, 0.10 kWh/l; equivalent to the electric power consumption
certainly are many factors to take into account • feed-water: 17 000 cal/litre, 0.21 kWh/l; and of about 3000 homes.
when using one technology versus the other, • steam: 750 000 cal/kg, 0.87 kWh/kg. We need to seal energy in a system, not just fluids.
including periodic maintenance, the availabil-
ity of trained maintenance personnel, and per-
missible leakage levels – but frictional energy
saving is not as important as conventionally
viewed.
And this brings us to one other major factor
that needs to be considered in the efficiency of
sealing systems.

Beyond friction
Energy losses from
product leakage
Some energy is lost simply through leaks. These
Figure 6. Energy loss with regulated flow rates for different piping plans.
will come from many sources – dynamic and

9
June 2015 Sealing Technology
 feature
Figure 7. Frequency of the API piping plans used.
Energy losses from a sealing
system’s environmental controls
in high-temperature applications
In most of these cases, the energy consump-
tion of the sealing system is relatively small
in comparison to overall energy consump-
tion by the pumping system. The seal
itself consumes energy because of friction
between its rotating and stationary faces,
and turbulence or churning of the fluid in
the seal chamber.
The amount of energy consumed is a func-
tion of seal design parameters. Depending
on the seal design, the seal face friction and
viscous shear can result in energy consump-
tion of 200–1000 W (0.27–1.34 hp), which
can lead to an unacceptable elevation in
temperature in the seal environment. The seal
chamber design affects the ability of the seal
to dissipate this thermal energy. Depending on
the magnitude of the heat generated and the
characteristics of the seal chamber, a seal sup-
port system that consumes additional energy
also may be employed.
Figure 8. Relative power consumption of piping plans in Figure 7.
10
Sealing Technology June 2015
Enlarged bore seal chambers with mini-
mal throat restrictions provide a high level
of process fluid circulation through the seal
chamber to dissipate heat. If an enlarged
seal bore chamber is not available or is
not capable of maintaining an acceptable
temperature in the seal environment, an
API piping plan may need to be applied.
In many cases API piping plan 11 (bypass
flush from the pump discharge) or plan 13
(bypass flush to the pump suction) are typi-
cally sufficient.
With either design, the bypass flush repre-
sents recirculation of the process fluid, which
has an impact on pump efficiency and resulting
energy consumption. The degree to which the
pump efficiency is reduced is proportional to
the flow rate of the process fluid through the
flush system. In order to minimise the effect of
the flush, a properly sized orifice can be located
in the flush line to restrict the flow rate to an
optimal level.
It is important to compare the power con-
sumption of various seal cooling arrangements,
or piping plans, in cases where the seal tem-
perature needs to be brought down from the
process temperature.
There are cases where the proper environ-
ment for the seal cannot be achieved by simple
recirculation. This is often the case if there are
too many solids in the process, or when the
temperature is too high for proper seal lubrica-
tion and long-term reliability.
In the fairly common case of pumping hot
water there might be a need to cool the seal
chamber below the process temperature. One
such example would be where process water is
circulated at 120°C (250°F) and the desired
seal chamber temperature is 60°C (140°F).
There are several piping plans that can be used
to achieve the desired goal. These are summa-
rised below.
• In the first – Plan 21 – process is recirculated
from the discharge of the pump through an
orifice and a heat exchanger, and then enters
the seal chamber. In this case, process energy
is rejected to the environment through the
heat exchanger, and the cooled fluid is then
reheated to the process temperature. This is a
very inefficient plan.
• The second one is Plan 23. In this case,
liquid is recirculated from the seal chamber
with a pumping ring to a heat exchanger and
back into the seal chamber. A good thermal
bushing is required to prevent process mix-
ing with the seal chamber area. This is a
very efficient plan as it needs to cool a small
amount of fluid around the seal. It only
needs to reject to the environment the seal
generated heat and the heat soak energy from
the process into the seal chamber.
• Plan 32 – the third approach – introduces
a flush to the seal area from an external
source. In this case the liquid introduced
to cool the seal must be reheated to process
temperature. It does not consume as much
energy as Plan 21, but still represents a con-
siderable heat or energy loss.
Controlling the flow rate for each of these
plans is also important. The higher the flow
rate, the cooler the seal, but also the greater the
energy loss.
Some rules of thumb concerning flow rate
err on the side of safety. The flow rate tends to
be significantly greater than is required for a
reliable operation.
Figures 5 & 6 (on page 9) contain two
charts that illustrate the difference. Figure 5
shows the (thermal) energy loss when a simple
rule of thumb, such as a flow rate of 2 litres
per minute per 25 mm (inch) of shaft diameter
is applied, whilst the second one, in Figure 6,
reveals only the flow required to bring the seal
chamber temperature to 60°C (140°F). Note
 feature

Basic seal API Description Thermal loss Comments

arrangement plan # (yes/no)
01 Internal recirculation from discharge no
to the seal
02 Dead end – no recirculation no Thermal losses may occur if the seal chamber
is designed to use a cooling or heating jacket
11 External recirculation from no
discharge to the seal
13 External recirculation from the no
seal to suction
14 External recirculation from no
discharge to the seal to suction
Single mechanical 21 External recirculation from discharge yes May consume a high amount of thermal energy
seals and the through a cooler to the seal when cooling of the process medium is required
inboard seal of dual 23 Internal circulation from the seal to yes Is most effective when cooling of the process
unpressurised seals cooler and back to the seal medium is required
31 External recirculation from discharge no
through a cyclone separator to the seal
32 Flush fluid is injected into the seal yes May consume the highest amount of thermal
from an external source energy to replace the process fluid heat lost
by injecting cooler external fluid
41 Recirculation from discharge through a yes May consume a high amount of thermal energy
cyclone separator and cooler to the seal when cooling of the process medium is required
53 Pressurised external barrier fluid res- yes
ervoir supplies clean fluid to the seal May consume a low amount of thermal energy
54 External barrier fluid system supplies yes when the temperature of the process medium is
Dual pressurised clean fluid to the seal at a pressure higher than the temperature of the barrier fluid
mechanical seals higher than that in the seal chamber
74 Barrier gas from external source no
supplied to the seal at a pressure
higher than that in the seal chamber
Table 1. Thermal energy characteristics of common piping plans.

that the energy consumption for the mechani-
cal seal is practically negligible compared with
the thermal energy losses.
A summary of the most common plans and
their thermal energy characteristics is given in
Table 1.
An Energy Assessment standard ISO 14414,
which is currently at the final draft interna-
tional standard (FDIS) stage, does include an
appendix that specifically relates to sealing sys-
tems and recognises the necessity of including
their review in any pumping system energy
assessment.
It is clear that significant problems are found
in high-temperature service where cooling is
required. Fluid Sealing Association (FSA) mem-
ber companies have assembled data on 28 000
seal applications where the pumping temperature
exceeds 200°C (400°F). Figure 7 represents
the frequency of the API piping plans used in
these 28 000 high-temperature applications. It is
estimated that around 20% of these applications
use compression packing, but there is no reliable
data on packing type or piping arrangements.
A case study was conducted to calculate the
energy dissipation in a typical hot-oil pumping
application using different sealing methods.
The application specifics were as follows:
• Single-stage, end-suction centrifugal pump
(API 610 compliant) providing heat to
several areas of a plant;
• pumped fluid: hydrocarbon at 315°C (600°F);
• specific gravity 0.8;
• specific heat 1.67 kJ/kg-°C (0.4 Btu/lb-°F);
• system pressure: 345 kPag (50 psig) in the
seal chamber;
• pump shaft: 3600 rpm (50 mm in diameter
in the seal area);
• pump driver: 50 hp (typical);
• sealing devices: mechanical seals and
compression packing; and
• heat lost at the pump must be replaced at
the system boiler or heat exchanger.
Figure 8 shows the comparative power
consumption of the various mechanical seal
scenarios.
The energy to drive the pump was included
to highlight the fact that the most energy
intensive sealing system – a mechanical seal,
with injection of kerosene at ambient tem-
perature at a rate of 2 litres per minute – con-
sumes more energy that the motor used to
drive the pump.
A few more scenarios were investigated that
also compared compression packing. Just as in
the case of mechanical seals various schemes
can be used to enable compression packing
to work in high-temperature applications.
The packing can be cooled with the injection
of a cool fluid as in the case of API Plan 32,
but depending on the location and use of the
lantern ring, a much lower volume of liquid
enters the process.
Steam also can be used and, finally, as in the
case of mechanical seals, some compression
packing construction and materials are such
that no cooling is necessary. In that last case,
only frictional energy is to be considered. The
chart in Figure 9 (on page 12) compares the
packing and mechanical seal scenarios.

11
June 2015 Sealing Technology
 feature
Figure 9. Relative power consumption of mechanical seals and packing.
Figure 10. Mechanical seal with Plan 23 or carbon graphite packing?
Interestingly enough, compression packing
does not necessarily result in higher energy
consumption as is usually assumed. As a mat-
ter of fact, an approach that makes use of
high-temperature packing can be much less
energy intensive than one that relies on several
mechanical seals – and this is using the tradi-
tional frictional heat generation formula which,
as already mentioned, is overstating the contact
pressure and the coefficient of friction.
In Figure 9 the coefficient of friction
was lowered for one case. This does have
Figure 11. Energy consumption with injected liquid removed from the process.
12
Sealing Technology June 2015
quite an impact on the results since the heat
generated is directly proportional to this
coefficient.
Caution must be exercised when making
any sealing selection, including the potential
impact of product leakage, and the reliability
of the system. The use of a high-temperature
bellows gas seal may not be a practical
approach, even if it has the absolute lowest
power consumption. And although Plan 32
is grossly inefficient, it has proved to be an
extremely reliable sealing arrangement.
In some services – such as boiler feed-water
pumps – where leakage is not a concern, the
question of using a combination of carbon
and graphite packing versus a mechanical
seal with Plan 23, should be re-examined
(Figure 10). The frictional power of the
packing is comparable to that of the seal, but
there is no cooling requirement. It is more
efficient.
Losses from a sealing
system’s environmental
controls in slurry applications
The other area that tends to be problematic is
one where the process medium is a slurry and
the environment around the seal needs to be
controlled. In such cases the injection of water
or a process-compatible clean fluid is com-
mon. In many cases it does not present any
concern as the product dilution is not a factor.
Certainly wastewater treatment comes
to mind, as the end product will be treated
water, and thus the injection of clean treated
water into a seal cavity is simply added to the
process flow. There are some inefficiencies
because the injected water has to be pumped,
but the impact is relatively small.
On the other hand there are cases where the
injected liquid needs to be removed from the
process. Evaporation is used in the final stage
to get a particular product or by-product.
This is a process used in paper or ethanol
production, for example. In these applica-
tions any water that is introduced, and which
later needs to be evaporated from the process,
results in tremendous power losses.
The FSA conducted another case study,
similar to the one used for the high-temper-
ature application. The parameters were as
follows:
• an end-suction centrifugal pump
(ANSI B-73 compliant) was used;
• pumped fluid: water with entrained solids
at 75°C (170°F);
• example: green or black liquor;
• system pressure: 345 kPag (50 psig) in seal
chamber;
• pump shaft: 3600 rpm (50 mm in diameter
in the seal area);
• pump driver: 50 hp (typical); and
• flush water introduced at the pump must be
removed downstream to restore the integrity
of the pumped fluid.
The results, as shown in Figure 11, are
so drastic that the usual bar chart would
not show the results adequately because the
frictional power consumption is so small
compared with the energy required for
evaporation.

Conclusion
It is clear that the power consumption of
sealing systems cannot be ignored. Although
dynamic seals consume power from the fric-
tional contact between parts in relative motion,
this can be minimal, compared with the ther-
mal energy losses introduced by the various
systems used for temperature control or to keep
the seal area clean.
The sealing system power losses can be
several hundred times higher than those
coming from frictional heat.
The traditional formulae used to
determine frictional power consumption
are approximations in the case of
mechanical seals, but result in a
significant overestimation in the case
of compression packing.
PATENTS
Mechanical seal with
diamond film surface
Applicants: Tanken Seal Seiko
Co Ltd, and Tokyo Metropolitan
Industrial Technology
Research Institute – Japan
The purpose of this invention is to create a
mechanical seal, which is capable of satisfy-
ing the required level of performance in terms
of leak prevention, but also has a diamond
film surface that possesses excellent durability.
A method of manufacturing this seal is also
detailed by the associated patent. This seal has
first and second annular sliding surfaces that
rotate relative to one another. These annular
sliding surfaces incorporate a polycrystalline
diamond, and have a degree of flatness of 3 µm
or less, and a surface roughness of 0.01–1 µm.
Patent number: WO/2014/123233
Inventors: J. Mori, H. Nagasaka, Y. Teranishi
and Y. Watanabe
Publication date: 14 August 2014
Seal coupling system
for a valve
Applicant: Caleffi Spa, Italy
The seal coupling system for a valve that forms
the subject of this patent consists of a coupling
portion, which protrudes from the body of the
valve along a longitudinal axis and is suitable
for engaging a connection seat of a pipe of a
plant along which fluid flows. This portion is
provided with a first thread, suitable for engag-
ing a second thread of the connection seat. An
June 2015 Sealing Technology
To the surprise of many, there are times
when compression packing will provide the
most efficient form of sealing.
Further reading
1. Fluid Sealing Association, Life Cycle Cost
Calculator. www.fluidsealing.com. D.
Casucci, M. Savage (2014).
2. ‘Fluid Systems Matter’ (short course),
International Pump User Symposium, (2011)
– E.Vanhie, D. Casucci, R. Philips and H.
Azibert.
Contact:
Henri Azibert, Technical Director, Fluid Sealing
Association, 87 Lowell Road, Windham, NH 03087,
USA. Tel: +1 610 971 4850, Email: Henri@fluidsealing.com,
Web: www.fluidsealing.com
annular sealing gasket element is positioned
on the coupling portion. The gasket element’s
cross-section – in accordance with the plane
passing through the longitudinal axis – has a
zone of greater thickness, measured orthogo-
nally to the longitudinal axis, and a zone of
lesser thickness, configured for penetrating and
being tightened between the second thread
and a surface of the coupling portion (when
the latter is screwed onto the connection seat).
Also provided is a constraining mechanism that
is designed to prevent relative rotation of the
annular sealing gasket element with respect to
the coupling portion.
Patent number: WO/2014/122265
Inventor: M. Caleffi
Publication date: 14 August 2014
Tubular connection centre
shoulder seal
Applicant: Ultra Premium
Oilfield Services Ltd, USA
This patent provides details of a metal-to-metal
sealing system that connects first and second
tubular members. It includes first and second
seal configurations on the first and second
tubular members, respectively. The first seal
configuration has a first annular groove and
a first annular tooth. Similarly, the second
seal configuration includes a second annular
groove and second annular tooth. The second
annular tooth is positioned within the first
annular groove, with the second annular tooth
face engaging the first annular shoulder face to
define a first shoulder. The first annular tooth
is positioned within the second annular groove,
with the first annular tooth face engaging the
second annular shoulder face to define a sec-
ond shoulder. The locations of primary sealing
FEATURE/PATENTS
This feature article is based on a paper that
was presented at the 13th EDF–Pprime work-
shop: ‘Energy Saving in Seals’, which was held in
Futuroscope Chasseneuil, France, on 2 October
2014. For further information on this confer-
ence, contact: 13th EDF–Pprime workshop:
‘Energy Saving in Seals’, NöelBrunetière, Institut
P’, CNRS – Université de Poitiers – ENSMA,
UPR 3346, Département GMSC, SP2MI,
Bd Marie et Pierre Curie, BP 30179, F86962
Futuroscope, Chasseneuil Cedex, France. Tel:
+33 5 49 49 65 31, Email: Noel.brunetiere@
univ-poitiers.fr or Email: edf-pprime-2014@sci-
encesconf.org, Web: http://edf-pprime-2014.sci-
encesconf.org. Also see ‘Plenty of interesting new
topics at October conferences’, Sealing Technology
December 2015 pp. 9–12.
contact of the surfaces of the members are
spaced axially away from the first and second
shoulders.
Patent number: WO/2014/123718
Inventor: A. Juarez
Publication date: 14 August 2014
Sealing structure
Applicant: NOK Corp, Japan
The aim of this invention is to create a sealing
structure that prevents leakage of high-pressure
gas. According to the associated patent, this
structure is capable of performing a sealing
function even if the seal ring that is used has
reduced compression allowance and is in a low-
temperature environment. The structure has
A schematic, sectional view showing the
initial and attached state of the seal ring
(100) according to an embodiment of patent
WO/2014/126243 – the aim of which is to
create a sealing structure that prevents
leakage of high-pressure gas.
13
 PATENTS
a cylinder head (300), which has an injector
mounting hole (310) and is exposed to high-
pressure gas. An injector (200) is mounted on
this hole, and a resin ring (100) seals the annu-
lar gap between the injector mounting hole
(310) and the injector (200). A characteristic of
this sealing structure is the stepped section that
is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the
injector mounting hole. This stepped section
causes the diameter of the injector mounting
hole to be greater on the combustion chamber
side (E) where high-pressure gas is present. In
addition, the seal ring (100) is mounted in a
position where it is in close contact with the
step surface (310c) of the stepped section.
Patent number: WO/2014/126243
Inventors: Y. Kondo and H. Tadano
Publication date: 14 August 2014
High-temperature subsea
dynamic seals
Applicant: Framo Engineering As,
Norway
Systems and methods are described for processing a
high-temperature fluid using equipment operating
in a subsea environment, whilst protecting dynamic
seals within the equipment. In some examples cited
a small portion of the process fluid is cooled using
a cooling system. The cooled process fluid is then
directed towards the dynamic seals. In other exam-
ples, the dynamic seals are shielded and isolated
from the high-temperature process fluid and cooler
barrier fluid is circulated within an enclosed volume
in proximity to the seal.
Patent number: WO/2014/127048
Inventors: A. Brunvold, P.G. Vikre,
H.J. Grimstad and R. Groette
Publication date: 21 August 2014
Mechanical seal with a
balance shift mechanism
Applicant: Flowserve Management
Co, USA
In this invention an O-ring balance shift
mechanism is provided in a dry lift-off face
mechanical seal. Its role is to maintain neces-
sary hydraulic closing forces on the seal faces
when pressurised from either the inside or
outside, in order to shift the diameter balance
of the seal rings radially under reverse-pressure
conditions. This mechanism includes a shift
ring with two O-rings. In one embodiment the
shift ring is “H-shaped”, whilst in another it
is “S-shaped”. The O-rings are radially spaced
from each other and move axially with the shift
ring during reverse-pressure conditions.
Patent number: WO/2014/127114
Inventor: L.E. Jacobs
Publication date: 21 August 2014
14
Sealing Technology June 2015
Syringe with two-stage
sealing pressure
Applicant: AbbVie Inc, USA
This invention relates to a syringe for use in a
drug infusion system. It is configured to have
a relatively tight seal when full and a relatively
loose seal when product is being dispensed.
The syringe described includes a barrel, a
plunger and a sealing member – creating a seal
between the plunger and the barrel. The bar-
rel includes a first portion, with a first inner
diameter, and a second portion, with a second
inner diameter (which is larger than the first
inner diameter). The sealing member engages
the first portion of the barrel to give rise to a
first contact pressure when the barrel is filled
with product. The first contact pressure is
sufficient to maintain a gas-tight seal over the
expected temperature range (-25°C to 40°C).
A first force is applied to the plunger – to
overcome the first contact pressure – in order
to move it out of the first portion and into
the second portion to dispense product. The
sealing member engages the second portion
of the barrel to give rise to a second contact
pressure that is lower than the first. A second
force, lower than the first, is sufficient to over-
come the second contact pressure and move Partial perspective (top), end elevational
(middle) and side elevational (bottom)
the plunger in the second portion to continue views of a ceramic matrix composite
dispensing product. The syringe may include a (CMC) gas-turbine engine blade platform,
restraining element for accommodating expan- according to an embodiment of patent
sion of the product during freezing. WO/2014/130147. The aim of this invention
is to create edge seals for CMC components.
Patent number: WO/2014/126593
Inventors: S.E. Mackey, J. Zhou, Ji,
M.J. Gibler, D. Lee and B.L. Wiesner Gasket for secondary battery
Publication date: 21 August 2014
Applicant: Yodogawa Hu-Tech
Co Ltd, Japan
Edge seals for gas-turbine
The purpose of this invention is to produce
engine CMC components a gasket for a secondary battery – such as a
Applicant/Inventor: J. Shi, USA lithium secondary battery – which has excel-
This application relates to edge seals for gas- lent compression and recovery properties.
turbine engine blades, vanes, aerofoils, plat- The gasket is used in an insulating seal and
forms, end-walls and shrouds, but in particular consists of a hot-pressed and cold-pressed,
to edge seals for components having a ceramic moulded article. Its shape is fixed by hot-
matrix composition (CMC). A gas-turbine pressing and deforming a skived sheet into
engine CMC component includes first and a gasket shape followed by a cold-pressing
second outer layers of plies (20 & 24), and an process – the sheet being obtained by skiv-
intermediate layer of plies (22) between the first ing a block-shaped moulded body made of
and second outer layers of plies. The intermedi- tetrafluoroethylene–perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether
ate layer of plies is offset relative to the first and copolymers (PFA). The moulded article is
second outer layers of plies. The offset forms a obtained by a hot-pressing process at a tem-
protrusion (30) on one side of the CMC com- perature lower than the melting point of PFA
ponent and a recess (32) in an opposite side, and then cooling the material under applied
such that when two CMC components are pressure.
brought together and assembled the protrusion Patent number: WO/2014/129413
of one CMC component engages the recess of Inventors: K. Ogawa, I. Awai,
another to form an edge seal between them. H. Torii, T. Ono, S.-I. Sakashita
Patent number: WO/2014/130147 and M. Kokado
Publication date: 28 August 2014 Publication date: 28 August 2014

Gas seals for rotating
shafts operating under
high temperatures
Applicant: Battelle Memorial
Institute, USA
Various embodiments of this patent cover gas
seal systems and apparatuses for use in a drive
assembly for transferring a rotational force from
a zone at ambient temperature to one that is at
a high temperature.
Patent number: WO/2014/134582
Inventors: M. O’Brian, Z. Abdullah
and S. Winecki
Publication date: 4 September 2014
Seal arrangement for
non-contact sealing of
anti-friction bearings
Applicant: CBSG 3D Freiform
GmbH, Germany
In summary, this invention relates to a seal
arrangement for non-contact sealing of anti-
friction bearings – in particular for sealing anti-
friction bearings in conveyors, machine tools,
pumps and electric motors. More specifically, it
relates to an improvement in the arrangement of
non-contact fluid-collecting labyrinth seals that
perform a sealing function, such that lubricating
oil is not able to escape from the anti-friction
bearing side, and water and contaminants are
not able to enter from the atmosphere side. The
seal arrangement described consists of a three-
piece pre-assembled labyrinth seal, of which at
least one sealing element is arranged together
with the surrounding, stationary machine part,
and at least one sealing element is arranged on
a rotatable machine part. A core advantage of
this design, say the inventors, is its ability to
ensure satisfactory and effective sealing despite
the potential occurrence of what is referred to as
“severe surge-like flooding of sealing gaps”.
Patent number: WO/2014/132140
Inventors: E. Scholz and Y.H. Scholz
Publication date: 4 September 2014
Bimetal strip-seal
Applicant: Rolls-Royce Corp, USA
This patent provides details of an improved seal
June 2015 Sealing Technology
Patent WO/2014/133615 describes an
improved seal assembly (42) that has been
developed for use with a combustion liner
assembly employed in a gas turbine engine to
control fluid flow. The figure above illustrates
a scrolled bimetal seal assembly, showing the
seal member in its open position for permit-
ting fluid flow (top) and fully deployed and
engaging the sealing surface (bottom).
assembly (42) for use with a combustion liner
assembly employed in a gas turbine engine to
control fluid flow. The seal assembly has a bimetal
sealing member (44). This is affixed to a first
surface that is proximal to a second perpendicular
surface, which is not in contact with the first
surface, thus providing a potential fluid flow-path
(56). Upon heating, the bimetal sealing member
“uncoils” contacting the second perpendicular sur-
face, thus blocking the flow-path between the two
surfaces. Various metals may be used to provide
predetermined sealing characteristics.
Patent number: WO/2014/133615
Inventor: C.B. Graves
Publication date: 4 September 2014
Method for installing a seal
element on a shaft part
Applicant: Aktiebolaget SKF, Sweden
This patent describes a method for installing
a seal element (1) on a shaft part (2). The seal
element rotates in a circular manner about
the shaft part in the assembled state. The aim
of this invention is to simplify the assembly
process. According to the associated patent,
this is achieved by producing the seal (1) as a
longitudinally extending element with two joint
A SUBSCRIPTION INCLUDES:
PATENTS
ends (3 & 4), with one clamping tab (5 & 6)
being attached to the seal element in the region
of each joint end. The shaft part (2) is “looped”
with the seal element (1) such that the two
joint ends lie opposite each other. An attached
pulling tool (7) is designed to engage the two
clamping tabs (5 & 6) in a form-fitting manner
and pull together the two joint ends (3 & 4) in
the circumferential direction (U) of the shaft
part (2) until they contact each other. The joint
ends (3 & 4) are connected and the pulling
tool is uninstalled.
Patent number: WO/2014/131835
Inventors: A. Grambow, H.-J. Liesegang
and M. Landwehr
Publication date: 4 September 2014
This invention – detailed by patent
WO/2014/131835 – relates to a method for
installing a seal element (1) on a shaft part (2).
The figure above shows the sealing element
placed in a circular formation around the shaft
member. Two joint ends of the element face
each other. A drawing tool is attached to the
joint ends (of the seal member) and, contract-
ed by tension, draws them together.
Method for producing a seal
Applicant: Henkel Ag & Co Kgaa,
Germany
This invention relates to a method for produc-
ing a seal. A sealing compound is applied to a
workpiece by means of a metering device. This
is done whilst the workpiece is moved relative
to the metering device. Before the sealing com-
pound is applied, the targeted area is heated
whilst the workpiece is moved relative to a
heating device.
Patent number: WO/2014/131682
Inventors: J. Hudina, U. Weinbrecht,
D. Reitenbach and E. Grulich
Publication date: 4 September 2014
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15
 EVENTS / NEWS
15 & 16 July 2015
Valve World Americas Expo & Conference 2015
Houston, Texas, USA
Contact: Sarah Bradley, KCI Publishing Corp,
36 King Street East, Suite 701, Toronto,
Ontario M5C 1E5, Canada
Tel: +1 416 361 7030, Fax: +1 416 361 6191
Email: s.bradley@kci-world.com
Web: www.valveworldexpoamericas.com
26–30 July 2015
AHFE International Conference 2015
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Contact: AHFE 2015 Conference Administrator,
PO Box 99712, Louisville, KY 40269, USA
Web: www.ahfe2015.org/registration.html
1–4 September 2015
JSAE/SAE 2015 International
Powertrains, Fuels & Lubricants Meeting
Kyoto, Japan
Contact: Society of Automotive Engineers of
Japan (JSAE), 10–2 Gobancho,
Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, 102-0076 Japan
Tel: +81 3 3262 8211, Fax: +81 3 3261 2204
Email: 2015pfl@jsae.or.jp
Web: http://pfl2015.jp
14 & 15 or 16 & 17 September 2015
‘Calculation of Bolted Flanged Joints’
(workshops: 14 & 15 September in English
and 16 & 17 September in German)
Lauffen, Germany
Contact: Amtec Messtechnischer
Service GmbH, Hoher Steg 13, 74348 Lauffen, Germany
Tel: +49 7133 95020, Fax: +49 7133 9502 22
KetaSpire resin complies with NORSOK M-710
S olvay Specialty Polymers, a major
supplier of high-performance
thermoplastics, has announced that
semi-finished tubes made from its
KetaSpire KT-820 NT polyetherether-
ketone (PEEK) resin comply with the
NORSOK M-710 standard, enabling
them to be used in highly demanding
oil and gas applications.
ATO srl, a supplier of sealing components
based in Milan, Italy, manufactures the semi-
Semi-finished tubes made from Solvay
Specialty Polymers’ KetaSpire KT-820 NT PEEK
resin comply with the NORSOK M-710 stand-
ard, enabling them to be used in demanding
applications in the oil and gas sector.
16
Sealing Technology June 2015
Events Calendar
Email: temes@amtec.de
Web: www.amtec.eu
Web: www.amtec-services.com
22 & 23 September 2015
O-Ring Prüflabor Richter GmbH’s seminar:
‘Elastomeric compounds and seals’
Oberstenfeld, Germany
Contact: Waltraut Mergenthaler,
O-Ring Prüflabor Richter GmbH, Kleinbottwarer Str. 1,
71723 Grossbottwar, Germany
Tel: +49 7148 922037, Fax: +49 7148 922038
Email: waltraut.mergenthaler@o-ring-prueflabor.de
Web: www.o-ring-prueflabor.de/de/seminare/
23 & 24 September 2015
High Performance Polymers for Oil & Gas 2015
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Contact: Sharon Garrington, Smithers Rapra,
Shawbury, Shropshire SY4 4NR, UK
Tel: +44 1939 252421
Email: sgarrington@smithers.com
Web: www.oilgasconference.com
12–15 October 2015
2015 International Elastomer Conference
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Contact: Rubber Division,American Chemical
Society, 411 Wolf Ledges, Suite 201, Akron,
OH 44311, USA
Tel: +1 330 9727 814
Web: www.rubberiec.org
25–27 October 2015
Tribology Frontiers Conference 2015
Denver, Colorado, USA
finished tubes using its Stabil hot compression
moulding process. Following the certification
of KetaSpire PEEK, ATO unveiled plans to
specify the high-performance polymer for
additional products distributed under its Stabil
label, including seals, bearings and back-up
rings, targeted at critical oil and gas equipment
and installations.
Element Hitchin – an independent testing
and analytical laboratory (formerly known as
Materials Engineering Research Laboratory, or
MERL) based in the UK – evaluated KetaSpire
KT-820 NT PEEK according to NORSOK
M-710 multi-phase sour service conditions in
fluid at 10% hydrogen sulphide, 5% carbon
dioxide and 85% methane, at 10 MPa (100 bar)
and at test temperatures of 200°C (392°F),
210°C (410°F) and 220°C (428°F). The expo-
sure testing spanned 49 days and periodically
measured swelling and tensile properties of the
resin samples. The tests showed that the high-
performance PEEK has good resistance to sour
gas and no measurable chemical deterioration
during the test period.
‘As the sealing industry continues to specify
high performance, quality and durability, we are
excited to collaborate with Solvay as an innova-
tive global supplier of PEEK resins,’ said Davide
Polloni, Business Export Manager, ATO.
Contact: Society of Tribologists and
Lubrication Engineers, 840 Busse Highway,
Park Ridge, IL 60068-2302, USA
Tel: +1 630 428 3400, Fax: +1 847 825 1456
Web: www.stle.org
4 November 2015
‘Designing with Fluoropolymers’(seminar)
Mannheim, Germany
Contact: Stefanie Wüst – Project Management
Academy, International Sealing and Gasket
Technology (ISGATEC), On the Parade Ground 1A,
68167 Mannheim, Germany
Tel: +49 621 717 68880, Fax: +49 621 717 68888
Email: swuest@isgatec.com
Web: www.isgatec.com
2–4 December 2015
Thermoplastic Elastomers 2015
& Silicone Elastomers 2015
Barcelona, Spain
Contact: Smithers Rapra, Shawbury,
Shropshire SY4 4NR, UK
Tel: +44 1939 252421
Email: conferences@smithersrapra.com
Web: www.smithersrapra.com
8–10 December 2015
Oil & Gas Non-Metallics 2015
London, UK
Contact: Jenny Skinner, Senior Conference Organiser,
Applied Market Information Ltd,
6 Pritchard Street, Bristol BS2 8RH, UK
Tel: +44 117 314 8111, Fax: +44 117 311 1534
Email: js@amiplastics.com
Web: www.amiplastics.com/events
Art Tigera, Business Development Manager,
Ultra Polymers, Solvay, added: ‘KetaSpire
KT-820 NT resin’s qualification under
NORSOK M-170 further highlights Solvay’s
commitment to work with suppliers within the
sealing industry to help support and develop
next-generation materials.’
KetaSpire PEEK is one of the industry’s most
chemically resistant plastics and offers an exception-
al combination of strength and toughness, along
with superior fatigue resistance and a continuous-
use temperature of 240°C (464°F), says Solvay.
It also exhibits high purity and consistent
high quality in processing and part perfor-
mance. Glass-fibre-reinforced and carbon-fibre-
reinforced grades provide a wide range of per-
formance options for demanding applications.
Contacts:
Solvay Specialty Polymers, Viale Lombardia 20,
I-20021 Bollate, MI, Italy. Tel: +39 02 290921,
Web: www.SolvaySpecialtyPolymers.com
ATO srl, Via Vipacco 35, 20126 Milano – Italy.
Tel: +39 02 2708 0822, Fax: +39 02 2708 0830,
Web: www.atoitalia.com
Element Hitchin, Wilbury Way, Hitchin SG4 0TW, UK.
Tel: +44 1462 427 850, Web: www.element.com